The Foundary

I know - another daily deal site. Just what you want.

This one looks pretty good.... The Foundary. From what I can tell, they have everything from home decor to baby items.

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Your Baby CANNOT Read...

... Is a load of BS

Have you seen these commercials on TV? Chances are if you have a little one if your house, you have seen the commercial a zillion times on one of the toddler channels.

Basically, it claims that through flash cards and DVD's, babies can learn to read. I had always thought it was a load of BS, but this morning The Today Show aired a little expose about the whole system. They spoke with a variety of experts at some of the leading universities and hospitals and came to the conslusion that it is a false claim.

Link to The Today Show article and video clip

Their experts said that the best way for a baby to learn is through their parents or caregivers - read to them, talk to them, sing with them, play with them -- basic interaction. Not rocket science, just common sense.

So, if you are thinking about purchasing that expensive reading system - DON'T! Save yourself the pennies and make a trip to the park instead.

Hey Good Lookin.... What Ya' Got Cookin

Miss A and I made some yummy Halloween treats for her Preschool teachers and Sunday school teachers. This bark recipe has been floating around the blogosphere so we decided to give it a shot. I am not the biggest fan of candy corn, so I made one tray with candy corn and another with Reece's Pieces instead of candy corn. And then I sprinkled sprinkles all over the top.




Doesn't this make your mouth water?

The recipe is super easy - sprinkle Oreo pieces, pretzels, candy corn/Reece's Pieces/M&M's, etc all over a cookie sheet and then cover everything with melted while almond bark. If you want, you can then top the bark with a little more candy and sprinkles. Let harden and then break up into pieces.

And now onto the main course.

Creamy Pesto Bow Tie Pasta

I have to admit, I completely stole this recipe off the back of a Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup can. It was fast, easy and pretty tasty. I used my homemade pesto, but the store bought stuff would also be great. The next time I make this I am going to toss in some red pepper flakes to give it a little kick. Also, I baked the chicken insteasd of cooking it in the skillet.

2 tablespoons butter
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound), cut into cubes
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1/2 cup pesto sauce
1/2 cup milk
3 cups bow tie pasta, cooked and drained

1.Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until well browned, stirring often.

2.Stir the soup, pesto sauce and milk in the skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the pasta and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling.

**New pictures on Baby M**

My Favorite Things

Somehow life always gets in the way of blogging.... but, here I am!

I have been busy with lots of fun little projects.... a couple Goodwill before and after projects, some fun Halloween stuff and some yummy dinners.

But, since my camera is in the other room and I am watching How I Met Your Mother from last night all you get is this wonderful new commercial.

First, let me say that this has to be the best movie ever made. I have loved it for as long as I can remember and I can't wait until I can show it to Miss A. Also - have you seen that the entire cast is going to be on an upcoming Oprah episode?!?! I cannot wait.

Isn't it great? And, I love that black and white dress.

Shabby Chic

I have mentioned before that I am constantly decorating something in our house. Home ownership is a never ending process - right? Right now I am working on Miss A's big girl room. I have no idea when she is going to transitioning into a big girl room or even a twin bed, but I know that as soon as she does the room will be ready.

I was lucky enough to inherit some wonderful vintage wrought iron beds from my grandparents house. Growing up, I would always sleep in these beds when we would visit them, so there are lots and lots of great memories surrounding these beds. All I need to go is give them a fresh coat of white paint and they are good to go.

Here comes the fun part - bedding. Using the beds as the starting point, I decided that a shabby chic look would be best. Plus, this is my opportunity to go all girl when decorating a room. (Her nursery is pretty gender neutral since we did not find out the gender) I already have a pink and green stripe fabric that will be used for her curtains and I am gradually picking up accessories here and there.

Aren't these sheets cute?

And mix in a rug like this.....

With light pink walls...

And some fun accessories and you have an adorable shabby chic room for Miss A!

Family Photos

The wonderfully talented Allie helped me come up with four great options for our upcoming family photos. I used to be an avid reader of her blog - Chic and I always loved the outfits that she created. And now, she has created some super cute outfits for me!

She created 2 looks for each outfit Miss A is wearing. Based on the clothes Allie picked, you would think that she and I are best girlfriends and we have been shopping together over and over..... you would never guess that she and I have never met in person.

Now comes the hard part..... deciding which looks to use!

Fried Fair Food

As we were walking into the fair today there were people handing out samples of shampoo and conditioner. Granted, I love me some hair products, but they should have been handing out samples of heart burn medication.

Especially when you eat an assortment of fried foods and Diet Coke for the entire afternoon.

Have not made it to the Texas State Fair this year? Or are you wondering what exactly you would eat at the fair?

Well......

Fried Frito Pie

Fried Texas Caviar

Funnel Cake

Fried Grilled Cheese

Fletcher's Corny Dog

Tornado Taters

Chicken Fried Bacon

Fried Chocolate

I think the Fried Frito Pie was my favorite. Followed closely by the Fletcher's Corny Dog. Can't go wrong with Fletcher's. The fried chocolate was basically a gooey brownie and the fried bacon did not live up to my expectations. I love bacon, but this had too much fried batter covering it.

And, let me just say.... I did not eat entire servings of all of this food. Most of these things I just had bites. Had I eaten all of this food, I would be one sick puppy.

28 is Too Young

If you live in Dallas, you have probably heard about the horrible accident that happened on the Katy Trail last week.

There have been numerous news stories and articles about this incident, but here are just a couple.
Jogger Critically Injured on Katy Trail
Dallas Jogger Hit by Bicycle on Katy Trail Dies

It was a freak thing that leaves you questioning almost everything and asking why. I wish I had more comforting thoughts during this period of loss. But mainly I just end up thinking about the times we had together and I just end up sad and crying.

Lauren Huddleston is my friend. She was a kind and compassionate soul that would do anything for anyone. She lived her life that way and she ended her life that way. Her organs, tissue and bones are going to be able to save the lives of almost 100 people. She was that type of person that never said negative things about people, but you could tell she never even thought those unkind things about people. 28 is too young to die.

Lauren, you are loved and you will be missed.